Leeds fire: Investigation into city centre blaze begins

The fire service said the blaze had the potential to be much more serious

An investigation has been launched into the cause of a fire at a building under renovation in Leeds city centre.

The blaze at the vacant Leonardo building, near Millennium Square, broke out at around 19:50 BST on Saturday.

No injuries have been reported but the fire "had the potential" to be more serious, the fire service said.

Incident commander Dale Gardiner said the fire involved a plastic covering and scaffolding on the top floors of the high rise.

Firefighters managed to contain the fire to the vacant Leonardo building

Cdr Gardiner, from West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, said investigators were inspecting the building and more information about the cause of the fire was expected later in the week.

He said the plastic wrap around the building caught fire first but the majority of the flames were from scaffolding, which hindered firefighters' access.

"The crews worked fantastically hard to stop that spreading to further buildings," he added.

The fire "did have the potential" to be much more serious because of the city centre location, close to busy bars and restaurants and other occupied buildings.

The fire service said the extent of the damage is not yet known

Firefighters prevented the blaze from spreading to neighbouring properties but some businesses were evacuated.

The nearby Leeds City Museum said it would close on Sunday but that it had been unaffected by the fire.